Racist behavior by fans will be closely monitored at World Cup matches and offenders will be expelled from stadiums and banned from attending other games.

FIFA, as well as other soccer bodies around the world, have made cracking down on racism in the sport one of their current focal points, and those efforts are also being emphasized at the World Cup.

Banners or flags with racist content will be confiscated from fans before entering stadiums and fans identified as making racist chants or acts will be expelled from stadiums and banned from attending any more World Cup matches, German soccer federation security official Hans Florin said Friday.

In Munich, police removed a World Cup banner with swastikas from a bridge after receiving a call from a motorist who saw it next to the words "FIFA World Cup" and "Germany."

Police were investigating the incident, spokesman Rainer Wolf said.

Florin encouraged fans to repudiate racism by fellow spectators, saying those acting offensively were just a "small percentage of people."

The rest of the fans should "make clear they will not accept this type of thing."

Despite its efforts to increase penalties for racist behavior, FIFA said it had to respect local laws when deciding on sanctions.

"We discovered it's not very easy from a legal point of view ... to punish people just like that," FIFA spokesman Alain Leiblang said. "There are rules in each country ... and we must respect those rules."

Leiblang said FIFA had regulations allowing referees to punish any racist behavior by players on the field.

The struggle against racism "is a long-term fight," Leiblang added.